


A Minute Will Reverse

by drcrry



Category: Raven Cycle - Maggie Stiefvater
Genre: M/M, Valentine's Day, a lil angsty, background noah/gansey, i don't know the timeline don't @ me
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-02-13
Updated: 2018-02-13
Packaged: 2019-03-15 12:19:24
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 3,004
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/13613238
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/drcrry/pseuds/drcrry
Summary: “You look miserable.” Gansey said.Adam jumped in alarm and narrowed his eyes as he realised who was speaking to him. “You look dopey.” He fired back and slammed his locker shut.“It’s Valentine's Day. I’m allowed to look dopey.”





	A Minute Will Reverse

**Author's Note:**

  * For [noahczerns](https://archiveofourown.org/users/noahczerns/gifts).



> The title is taken from _The Love Song of J. Alfred Prufrock_ by _T.S Eliot_
> 
> (I haven't read The Raven Cycle in ages so the characterisation might be winky wonky but I tried my best.)

Adam only remembered what day it was after he parked outside Aglionby. Valentines Day. The worst day of the year. It would have gone unnoticed by Adam completely if not for the couples scattered across the front lawn. The morning light reflected upon them, casting long, obscure versions of their silhouettes on the grass ahead. These silhouettes were just clear enough to make out the figure of intertwined hands and the outline of long kisses, the type appropriate only in confined spaces of their own. 

Adam cursed the holiday as he wrestled through the hallway, dodging frisky lovers and overindulgent sweethearts. His battle was cut short as he got stuck behind a couple who refused to unclasp their hands for even a moment. He shuffled behind them in a morose way, craning his neck this way and that, searching for an escape route. The two eventually ventured into a room, which Adam knew to be a storage closet, leaving his path open. 

By the time he got to his locker, he was well tired of all the romantic nonsense occurring around him. He admired his locker, for the metal looked like a lovely surface to smash his head against.

Adam thought every sensible person hated Valentines Day, for one reason or another. If one was in a relationship, they had immense pressure to spend a week's paycheck on dinner and dancing. If one was after ending a relationship, the reason for hating the holiday is obvious. Adam had experienced both situations in the past, but none compared to the pain of his current state. Being alone on Valentine's Day was bad enough, but adding having a crush on Ronan and the whole thing was unbearable. 

Nobody in Aglionby seemed to have trouble finding someone whose feelings for them were reciprocated. Adam, however, had come to a complete halt. When he first realised his feelings for Ronan he tried to ignore them. It was only recently he accepted them, and for awhile he was excited. It was a lovely thing to finally understand that you had found the piece that was missing. That the hollow crack running through your life could be filled. Ronan was Adams filling. And for a while, it was all he needed to feel content. But now he needed more. And the truth of the matter was he was terribly lonely. He longed for even the most chaste of touches. A handshake in itself eased his craving slightly. It was all very messy. Adam was usually able to ignore it. But today the task was strenuous. 

Ronan hated Valentines Day more than the average person, which was saying a lot. And it was statistically improbable he would get wrapped up in any sort of romantic drivel like Adam was prone to do. If Ronan had any feelings for Adam at all he would never voice them, not even on behalf of Valentines Day. The thought should not have disappointed Adam as much as it did. He had always known it was his job to get the ball rolling. But he didn’t know if he would ever have the courage.

Adam was rummaging through his locker mindlessly and didn’t see Gansey approach.

“You look miserable.” Gansey said. 

Adam jumped in alarm and narrowed his eyes as he realised who was speaking to him. “You look dopey.” He fired back and slammed his locker shut. 

“It’s Valentine's Day. I’m allowed to look dopey.” Gansey smiled at him, but his eyes were a million miles away. It was a hard feat to catch Gansey looking fully there ever since he started dating Noah. He looked like he was drifting through each day, thinking of nothing but him. If his grades were slipping, which Adam thought to be likely, he never let on. 

“It’s Monday morning. I’m allowed to look miserable.” Adam walked away but Gansey followed him. The hallway was significantly less crowded at this point, which was a relief beyond comprehension.

“But not too miserable.” Gansey caught up with him and they fell in stride. 

“Easy for you to say. You’re in a relationship.” Adam argued. 

Gansey stepped in front of him then. He looked crazed in the eyes. They were bright and hazel and glittering right at him. “You could be too.” 

“I could be but I’m not.” Adam said, trying to step around him. He thought it best not to get involved in whatever Gansey was scheming. But he was in his path again. Adam wondered where Noah was, and how likely it would be for him to join them in that moment and distract Gansey long enough for Adam to slip away unnoticed. He sighed as the odds were not in his favour.

“Ronan.” Gansey said. His name alone sent something through Adam. It was nothing special. It was a common name, maybe not in Henrietta, but in other parts of the world. It was, however, a beautiful word. Two syllables split almost perfectly in half. The two sounds were nice to say apart, but together they were magic. Soft and sweet and sturdy. “He likes you,” Gansey continued. “And he’ll be disappointed if you don’t do anything.” 

This only added fuel to Adams frustration. “Why doesn’t he do something himself then?” 

Gansey raised an eyebrow at his outburst. “Have you met Ronan? He’d suppress his feelings and die alone if you left him to his own devices. If anyone is going to confess undying love, it has to be you.”

Gansey, as per usual, was living on a separate planet entirely. Adam didn’t think he loved Ronan, and anyway it didn’t matter. Ronan certainly didn’t love him. There was an attraction at the most, and even that was a stretch. 

Adam sighed and leaned against the wall, letting a strain fall from his shoulders. He decided it unwise to argue with Gansey in the state he was in. “I know,” he said. “What will I do?” 

Gansey beamed and rubbed his hands together in anticipation. “I thought you’d never ask.” Adam felt the weight of dread in his stomach. “When we go into Chemistry you should smile at him. Don’t ignore him, but definitely don’t say anything-”

“Can I not even say hello?” Adam said, mocking him.

“Of course you can.” said Gansey. “Use your common sense.” None of what Gansey was saying was common to Adam or made any sense whatsoever but he nodded to appease him. 

“I’d advise avoiding talking to him all day. That way you won’t mess anything up. Make sure you do loads of smiling, so he doesn’t feel too neglected. But whatever you do don’t ask him out until after school. Because if you ask him out too soon it’ll be awkward all day. And by god don’t ask him out at midday. It’ll look like you said it on a whim or you forget to ask earlier..” Gansey was rattling this all off rapidly, sending his hands into a frenzy. Adam had a suspicion he was about to start pacing back and forth. 

“And where will I bring him?” Adam asked, cutting across a long spiel about the importance of eye contact. He was eager to hurry along the lecture as much as he was able.

“Oh,” Gansey waved him off. “I’ve booked you somewhere. Don’t worry about that part.” 

“Where?” Adam repeated, suspicious at the way Gansey avoided the question. 

He hesitated for a moment before handing him a piece of paper with an address. “I booked it under my name. I hope you don’t mind.” 

“It's not one of those fancy restaurants that have expensive crappy food is it?” 

“No,” he said matter-of-factly. “The food is excellent.”

“Gansey!” Adam said. “You know I can’t afford that.” Gansey opened his mouth to reply but Adam cut him off. “And I’m not letting you pay for it.”

“Why not?” Gansey said, on the brink of whining.

“Because I’m not taking your money. And because Ronan will know it was your idea.”

“Well I’ve already paid for it.” Adam glared at him before shoving the paper in his pocket. “Brilliant,” Gansey said, taking his silence as surrender. He adjusted Adams tie and fixed his hair. “Keep me updated.” 

He was about to leave him but Adam caught his wrist. “Wait,” Gansey raised his eyebrows at him. “How do you know he likes me?” 

Gansey stared at him for a moment before he laughed. “A mother knows.” He pats him on the shoulder before walking into the classroom. 

Ganseys speech did more harm than good because now Adam was starting to feel quite panicked. He hadn’t planned on doing anything at all, but now he had no choice. Gansey would never forgive him if he didn’t follow his strict rules, as ridiculous as they were. With this in mind, he went after him into the classroom.

Adam felt overly aware of every move he made. He didn’t know where to put his hands so he stuffed them deep in his pockets. He stared at his shoes for lack of a better place to look. He slumped into his usual seat, only looking up in search for Ronan.

He was already there, his feet kicked up on the table in indifference. He chewed a piece of gum in a rather violent manner as he started out the window. As though he could distinguish Adams scent, he directed his gaze in his direction.

“Parrish.” he said. He had no expression on his face but as Adam smiled at him, he broke out into a smirk. “What the fuck did you do to your hair?” 

Adam reached for it gingerly, before shaking out whatever style Gansey combed it into. 

Ronan took his feet off the table and rested his elbow on it instead. He studied him, jaw cupped in his palm. His eyes were vibrant blue with meticulously placed streaks of gold. He said nothing as he leaned back in his chair, arms folded across his chest.

*

The day was going terribly slowly. Ronan hadn’t tried to initiate any conversation since, which Adam was thankful for. After a lot of contemplation, he decided to trust Ganseys advice. Afterall, he was the only person Adam knew that had been in more than one relationship. Besides, Gansey, more so than anyone else, had a good read on Ronan. 

Gansey had been following him around all day, asking redundant questions. It was no surprise to Adam that, nearing the end of the day, he followed him into the bathroom. He made sure it was otherwise empty before turning his attention to Adam. 

“How’s it going?” Adam shrugged, resisting the urge to roll his eyes. “Why are you shrugging?” Gansey asked, panicked. “What does that mean?” 

“I haven’t talked to him since this morning.” This did nothing to ease Ganseys nerves. 

“Has he tried to talk to you?” 

“This morning he asked about my hair, thanks for that by the way.” He shot Gansey a dark look. “But that was it.”

Gansey looked confused. “He knows somethings up.” 

“Well, he’s not much of a talker anyway.” Adam pointed out.

“But he’s a talker with you. Have you been doing the smiling?”

“Yes, I’ve been doing the smiling.” Adam said, exasperated. 

“Maybe it’s nothing.” He said and caught his bottom lip between his teeth. 

“It’s probably nothing.” Adam said. He didn’t know why he was reassuring Gansey and not the other way around. Gansey nodded but looked unsure as he left.

Adam scrubbed his face wearily as he started his walk to class. He had been walking for some time before Ronan appeared out of nowhere and joined him. He looked perfectly calm. Adam acknowledge him with a small smile before turning his attention ahead of him again.

They walked in silence for a moment before Ronan spoke. “Why are you acting like a dumbass?” 

“Hm?” Adam hummed, chancing his arm at nonchalance in hopes of steering clear of the topic. 

“You were late to Chemistry and you showed up with loser hair, and you’ve been smiling at me all day.” Ronan stopped, forcing Adam to follow suit. “Are you dying or something?” He asked it like it was a serious question. 

“Or something.” he said. He was avoiding looking at Ronan in favour of the space above his shoulder, knowing great damage could be done just by a simple glance in his direction. Especially since they were so close to each other. It would be a terrible thing, Adam thought, if he were to speak to Ronan with no filter. Who knows what secrets his babbling could reveal. Ronan was striking from even the farthest distance. His heart would probably give out from the shock of his features in close proximity alone, nevermind any confessions or invitations. Since Adam thought himself a responsible person, he decided he could do only one or the other. Perhaps even one would be too much, but he couldn’t very well do nothing.

“Oh.” said Ronan. Adam, who could see perfectly well out of the corner of his eye, noticed Ronan was staring at him. Then he looked over his shoulder and back at Adam in a dramatic way. “What are you looking at?” 

Adam had no choice then, but to meet his gaze. He was struck dumb by what he saw. Nothing came to mind but ‘blue’, and all its other synonyms. He was able to think up a few similes but other than that, nothing.

“I’m just…” Adam raked his hand through his hair. When he dropped his hand it brushed against Ronan’s on accident. And before Adam could stop himself he lifted it back up a fraction so his knuckles brushed against Ronan’s once more. He locked his fingers with his. Adam was pleased by how smooth the whole thing went down. “Dinner?” He blurted out. He wasn’t suave by nature and hadn’t expected it to last long. But it vanished as quickly as it had come. 

Ronan glanced down at their hands and back up at Adam. “What?”

“Do you want to come to dinner? Tonight?” said Adam. “With me.” He added for good measure.

“Where?” Ronan’s voice was the quietest Adam ever heard it. He felt a warmth in his chest. While some people would describe a fuzziness or melting of the heart, Adam would say it was more like his heart didn’t know what to do with itself, so it simply started taking a tour of his other organs. It was skipping about in his chest before it fell into his throat and down to his stomach. All the time beating rapidly. 

Adam searched his pockets before producing the paper Gansey had given him. Ronan gave him a withering glance before taking the paper off him. He wrinkled his nose at it. “Sounds fancy.” 

“It is.” 

Ronan spared it one last look before dropping in on the ground. “How about Nino’s?” 

Adam gave his hand a little squeeze. “Just us?” 

Ronan shrugged. “If you want.” 

Adam needed to be sure. Gansey’s voice was ringing in his ears. _It has to be you_. “Because I love you.” Adam knew it was only a matter of time before he said something drastic. Ronan had been looking neither here nor there but at this, he lifted his eyes in alarm. He was surprised but he tried to hide it. 

“Parrish, you little bitch. Are you blushing?” Adam thought it likely. “You’re such a sap.” His voice sounded impossibly fond. 

“Whatever, Lynch. I need to get to class.” Adam tried to walk away but Ronan was still holding his hand. 

“You can’t just make me listen to you being all sappy and not finish being sappy. The finish is the best part.” Adam tried to figure out the riddle, but he couldn’t. 

“For the love off..” he trailed off and leaned into Adam. He reached out, as if, to touch his cheek but stopped abruptly. He looked at his hand that was hovering millimetres from his cheek and at Adam. “How about it, Parrish?” It took Adam a moment to realise what he was asking. _Can I touch you?_ It was, to Adam, an unbelievable concept. Not only for someone to ask if they touch him, but the fact that Ronan was asking. Ronan, who hated rules. Who, if asked to do something would do the complete opposite. And he was asking for permission to touch him. Just on the cheek. "Go ham." Ronan smiled with half his mouth and closed the gap between his hand and his cheek.

Adam leaned in slowly, aware that anyone could happen upon them at any time, and that they were late to class, and they would have to arrive late together, but the closer he got the slower he moved. Adam closed his eyes while Ronan’s were still open and he kissed him. Ronan didn’t kiss him back right away, but he wasn’t frozen either. It was as if he was learning the ropes before trying it out for himself. And it occurred to Adam for the first time that this might be Ronan's first kiss. He was overcome with the need for it to be perfect. He didn’t know if he had kissed enough people to be the perfect kisser, nor did he know what a perfect kiss was. But once Ronan’s lips moved against his, he was less confused. Not only was it warm, and not too wet, and left you desiring more, like every good kiss should. It was the warmest place Adam knew. It sent warmth all over him, not in a sexual way, per say, but it was cosy. If he ever had a home he felt safe in, he was sure it would feel like something like that. 

Adam pulled back with a heavy heart. “We have to go to Latin.”

“Screw Latin. I know all I need to know.”

“Oh yeah?” 

“Yeah.” Ronan smiled wickedly. “Carpe fucking diem, let’s ditch Latin.”

“Impressive.” Adam remarked before he kissed him again.

**_FIN ** __**_**


End file.
